The Toy Man
by ZoalaKoala
Summary: My second version to what would happen if Rose met the 11th Doctor. It was hard to do this one without running into the nostalgic Doctor as I did with the other one. Credit for the story idea goes to dewdrops-on-roses on tumblr.


"Honestly, Rose! I know you can walk a little faster than that!" Jackie shouted back into the crowd where Rose was ambling, arm in arm with her John Smith. She rolled her eyes and John laughed, nothing they could do would please Jackie today. It was almost Harry's birthday and she was on a mad hunt for presents.

"We're gonna go look over here." Rose called back, pointing at a toy store on their left. Jackie flicked up a hand to let them know she heard and they weaved through the crowd into the small doorway of the new store.

"Corr, it's small in here." John said, looking up at the ceiling, "I could probably touch that if I tried."

"Well go on then! Jump!" Rose dared, leaning against a shelf filled with remote control cars. But as John was getting ready, one of the cars ran behind her ran off the shelf and hid behind a large pile of puzzle boxes in front of them.

"What's going on here then?" She followed the car around the pile and found it zooming around the feet of a rather odd looking man.

He was about her height with floppy brown hair and a rather strong chin, but that wasn't the odd part. He was wearing suspenders over a collared shirt with a bowtie and black trousers that seemed a bit too short for his thin legs. He was spinning in a circle trying to keep his eye on the car when he noticed someone was watching but he didn't look up. "Hello there! Excuse me for not giving a hand shake, this car hasn't been played with enough to be sold. It's needs to be broken in first. That's what I do here, I'm a toy try-er out-er." The car stopped and the strange man grabbed at a green bouncy ball. "OH! Look at this! It's squishy!" He bounced it and when it rebounded it reached almost to the ceiling. "Oh wow! Look at it go! She would _love _having some of these things bouncing around."

The ball bounced a few more times and landed right in Rose's hand. "I haven't played with these things in forever!" She laughed and bounced it on the ground again.

"That's too bad, everyone should..." The man trailed off as his eyes found Rose's face.

"You ok?" She asked.

"Fine. Why shouldn't I be fine? I'm always fine." He turned back around and took another bouncy ball and threw it at the ground. This one hit the ceiling. "Anyway!" He turned back around, a smile on his face that made him look so pleased with himself. "How can I help you?"

"We're looking for a present. For my little brother, it's his birthday next week."

"Next week! Oh that's soon. What fun, birthdays are. What's his name?"  
"Harry."

"Harry! Good name, Harry!" He weaved through a few of the shelves, poking his head over one to look back at them then disappearing again.

Rose looked at John and laughed, "Betcha mum would have a fit if she had to deal with him. She could barely stand you!"

John gave a short laugh. "Yeah..." he breathed.

"Oh lighten up!" Rose gave him a nudge and wandered into the shelves. As she worked her way around the shop she noticed that it was a much bigger than it seemed from the store front. The thought made her smile. "Bigger on the inside." she mouthed to herself.

She rounded the corner and found her self next to the strange toy man, he had put a rather odd looking hat on now.

"It's a fez." He said before she asked. "Fezzes are cool." And then he turned to look at her, that childish grin back on his face but this time it reached his eyes.

She smiled back at him and leaned against the shelf as the man spun in a full circle before crouching down to fiddle with another toy. She watched his back move and realized she felt comfortable with him, as comfortable as she feels with John and Mickey. That doesn't happen much anymore. She has friends but none of them really knew the world she used to live in. There was her parents, but they didn't like talking about it much. _Too many memories_ they always said. There was lots she couldn't talk about with any of them but, oddly enough, she felt she could tell this man here. All arms and legs with a bowtie and fez that matched.

"What's your name?" She asked, kicking one of her feet forward.

He stilled and put down the toy he had in his hand, then opened his mouth but said nothing.

"Rose?" From a few shelves over John called out to her. "Rose, I think we should go."

She glanced at the clocks on the shelves opposite. "Well, we've been in here nearly an hour! How'd that happen?" She pushed herself into standing position again and marched over to John. "We should come back here later if we can't find a present somewhere else, yeah?"

John swallowed and looked at the Toy Man.

"What is it?" She followed his gaze.

It took John a second to answer, "Nothing. Come on let's go."

"No I know that face. What's wrong?"

The Toy Man stood up, "He's right. It was nice to meet you, Rose."

"Well fine if you're gonna gang up on me." She took John's hand and said goodbye to the Toy Man before making her way back to the front of the shop. The thought of 'bigger on the inside' returned to her mind and she thought of the Toy Man.

The thought stayed with her all the way home and through dinner. Once they were in bed she rolled over and rest her head on John's chest.

"John?" She whispered.

"Mmm?"

"That man. The one in the toy shop. Did he look familiar to you?"

"I've never met him before."

"But that doesn't mean he's not familiar." She paused, " You don't he he was... He wasn't..."

John breathed in deep and wrapped his arms around Rose. "He was."

She thought back to that day, tried to remember his face as best she could. All she could recall was the red of his hat and his smile. "He looked happy."

John's breathing slowed and Rose moved back to her own side of the bed. "I hope he found someone else to travel with him. He needs someone." She spoke aloud to the quiet room, more for herself than John. But mostly for her Doctor.


End file.
